In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Raymond Tarr, Founder of Sagacity Diagnostics.

Raymond brings more than 25 years of experience across diagnostics, rare disease, commercialisation and patient finding, with previous roles spanning companies including Cepheid and AstraZeneca/Alexion. His experience in rare disease, both professionally and personally, ultimately led to the creation of Sagacity Diagnostics and its PathfindEHR platform.

Raymond explains how PathfindEHR is designed to help clinicians identify patients who may be undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or missing the right testing by making better use of data already sitting within electronic health records.

We also discuss the adoption challenge facing diagnostics companies, how better workflow integration could drive more appropriate testing, and why education and awareness can be just as important as developing the test itself.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why existing EHR data could help shorten the diagnostic journey
🔹 How PathfindEHR helps identify suspect and potentially misdiagnosed patients
🔹 Why better workflow integration can increase appropriate diagnostic testing
🔹 How diagnostics companies can benefit from stronger clinician education and adoption tools
🔹 Why rare disease is only the starting point for Sagacity’s wider ambitions

Chapters:
00:59 Introduction and Raymond Tarr’s background
05:46 Moving from diagnostics into rare disease
08:57 The personal experience behind Sagacity Diagnostics
11:00 How PathfindEHR works
17:49 Using EHR data to identify patients who need testing
23:16 How diagnostics companies can benefit from the platform
29:16 Commercialisation and early market traction
34:40 Future milestones and scaling Sagacity

Guest: Raymond Tarr
Founder, Sagacity Diagnostics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondtarr/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Robert Carlson, Founder and President of Life Science Dx Consulting.

Robert brings 30 years of experience across diagnostics and life sciences, spanning scientific, commercial, corporate development and executive leadership roles.

He explains why early-stage diagnostics companies should think about partnerships much earlier, not only as a source of funding but as a way to build credibility, strengthen commercial strategy and create new routes to market.

The conversation also covers reimbursement, market access, investor expectations and why strong science alone is rarely enough to build a successful diagnostics company.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why diagnostics founders should consider partnerships before they urgently need them
🔹 How strategic partnerships can strengthen a future fundraising story
🔹 Why fear around IP, dilution and losing control can hold founders back
🔹 The importance of understanding reimbursement and market access early
🔹 Why commercial strategy should develop alongside the science

Chapters:
00:56 Introduction and Robert Carlson’s background
05:40 Why partnerships matter in early-stage diagnostics
12:19 Using partnerships to strengthen fundraising
14:51 Why founders hesitate to partner early
19:29 IP, control and the fear of being locked in
25:29 Why great science alone isn’t enough
28:43 Reimbursement, regulatory strategy and investor expectations
35:18 Building the right commercial strategy from the start

Guest: Robert Carlson
Founder and President, Life Science Dx Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertwcarlsonsr/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Octavian Florescu, CEO of In Diagnostics.

An electrical engineer and microchip designer by training, Octavian has spent his career exploring how semiconductor technology can be applied to blood testing. After building and exiting his first diagnostics company, he took those lessons into In Diagnostics alongside his co-founder and wife, Ana.

Octavian explains how the company is developing microchip-based blood testing from a drop of blood, why they are launching first in the veterinary market, and how a two-person “minimum viable company” is working towards profitability before expanding further into human diagnostics.

We also discuss what founders learn when capital is scarce, why diagnostics may need different funding models, and how better access to longitudinal blood data could support more personalised healthcare.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why Octavian believes blood testing should become more frequent and accessible
🔹 How lessons from his first diagnostics company shaped In Diagnostics
🔹 Why the veterinary market offers an early route to revenue and product validation
🔹 The thinking behind building a two-person “minimum viable company”
🔹 Why diagnostics funding may need to move beyond traditional venture timelines

Chapters:
01:02 Introduction and Octavian Florescu’s background
04:32 From microchip design to blood testing
06:33 Lessons from his first diagnostics company
11:20 Building In Diagnostics as a minimum viable company
13:52 Microchip-based blood testing and the unmet need for more data
19:15 Launching first in veterinary diagnostics
22:27 Building towards profitability without traditional VC funding
29:53 Upcoming milestones and the future of diagnostics

Guest: Octavian Florescu
CEO, In Diagnostics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/octavian-florescu-51b28817/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Nicole Bell, CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics.

Nicole’s route into vector-borne disease diagnostics is deeply personal. After her husband was initially diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, she continued searching for answers and later discovered he had Lyme disease alongside Babesia and Bartonella infections.

That experience led Nicole to Galaxy Diagnostics, where the company is working to improve direct detection of vector-borne infections using approaches including urine antigen testing and high-sensitivity PCR.

Nicole discusses why these infections are so difficult to diagnose, how outdated and antibody-based testing can leave patients without clear answers, and Galaxy’s plans to take its Lyme urine antigen test through clinical studies towards FDA submission.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia can be particularly difficult to detect
🔹 The limitations of relying on antibody testing for active infection
🔹 Why vector-borne disease exposure extends far beyond obvious tick bites
🔹 How Galaxy Diagnostics is approaching direct pathogen detection
🔹 The company’s path towards FDA approval, reimbursement and broader adoption

Chapters:
00:57 Introduction and Nicole Bell’s background
02:43 The personal story behind Nicole’s move into vector-borne diagnostics
08:17 Why vector-borne infections are so difficult to diagnose
13:28 Galaxy Diagnostics and its direct detection approach
17:22 How widespread is the vector-borne disease problem?
22:05 Commercialisation, clinical studies and the path to FDA approval
27:13 Raising a Series A in a difficult diagnostics market
31:31 Upcoming milestones and the future of diagnostics

Guest: Nicole Bell
CEO, Galaxy Diagnostics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoledaniellebell/

Learn more about Galaxy Diagnostics: https://www.galaxydx.com/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Andrew Miller, a diagnostics founder, advisor and two-time exited CEO.

A scientist by training, Andrew founded and led companies focused on rapid molecular diagnostics, taking Ionian Technologies through acquisition by Alere and later building NAT Diagnostics, which was acquired by Becton Dickinson in 2020. The technology developed at Ionian ultimately became central to Abbott’s ID NOW platform.

Andrew shares what he learned from going through the acquisition process twice, why his second company was designed for sale from the outset, and the four risks he believes every diagnostics founder needs to manage: technology, operations, finance and commercial relevance.

Key takeaways:
🔹 What Andrew learned from two successful diagnostics exits
🔹 Why Ionian chose acquisition rather than funding the full journey to FDA approval
🔹 How the lessons from his first exit shaped NAT Diagnostics from day one
🔹 Why founders need to prepare for due diligence long before an acquisition process begins
🔹 The four risks Andrew uses to assess early-stage diagnostics companies

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Andrew Miller’s background
02:23 Two diagnostics exits and the opportunity in rapid molecular testing
04:03 Building Ionian Technologies
08:37 Why Ionian pursued an acquisition
15:00 Building NAT Diagnostics differently the second time
19:04 Designing a diagnostics company for acquisition
27:03 Advising founders and the four risks every startup faces
31:33 Where diagnostics is heading next

Guest: Andrew Miller, PhD
Diagnostics Founder, Advisor & Two-Time Exited CEO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-miller-2670811/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Travis Wold, Chief Executive Officer at Imagenomix.

Travis brings experience across cancer diagnostics, genomics, liquid biopsy, and international commercialization. We explore how Imagenomix is using AI to help make genomic testing more accessible to cancer patients globally.

With around 98% of cancer patients outside the US not receiving NGS testing, Travis explains how analysing standard H&E pathology images could help identify patients who are more likely to benefit from confirmatory genomic testing.

We also discuss Imagenomix’s commercial strategy, digital pathology partnerships, and the longer-term potential for AI to support more precise treatment decisions in oncology.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why access to genomic testing remains extremely limited outside the US
🔹 How Imagenomix uses AI to identify mutation signals from standard H&E pathology images
🔹 Why AI screening could reduce the cost and volume of unnecessary NGS testing
🔹 How digital pathology partnerships could help Imagenomix scale globally
🔹 Why predicting treatment response could become the next major step for AI in precision oncology

Chapters:
00:59 Introduction and Travis Wold’s background
05:29 From cancer diagnostics to the global genomic testing problem
09:42 The limitations of NGS and where AI fits into the workflow
13:36 Imagenomix’s mission and the 98% genomic testing gap
17:42 Funding, digital pathology partnerships, and commercial traction
20:36 Regulatory strategy, screening, and the path towards companion diagnostics
23:13 Can AI predict which cancer patients will respond to treatment?
32:56 Scaling Imagenomix globally and the milestones ahead

Guest: Travis Wold
Chief Executive Officer at Imagenomix

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisjwold/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Nedal Safwat, Senior Vice President of Medical Diagnostics at Canatu and President of Canatu Inc.

With more than 20 years in diagnostics, Nedal has held leadership roles across Cepheid, QIAGEN, bioMérieux and Luminex. He now leads Canatu’s expansion into medical diagnostics, taking the company’s carbon nanotube technology into point-of-care testing.

Nedal explains why Canatu has chosen hormone testing and sepsis as its first areas of focus, and why the company started with the unmet clinical need rather than trying to find an application for its technology.

We also discuss the opportunity for faster hormone testing, the shift towards decentralised diagnostics, reimbursement and design-to-cost, and how Canatu is combining the speed of a startup with the infrastructure and backing of an established company.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why Canatu is bringing carbon nanotube technology into medical diagnostics
🔹 Why hormone testing and sepsis were selected as the company’s first focus areas
🔹 Why diagnostics companies should start with the unmet need and work backwards
🔹 How point-of-care hormone testing could improve convenience and reduce patient drop-off
🔹 Why reimbursement, cost and customer validation need to be considered from the beginning

Chapters:
00:53 Introduction and Nedal Safwat’s background
07:18 Canatu and the move into medical diagnostics
13:02 Why hormone testing and sepsis?
17:26 Starting with the unmet need and product-market fit
21:29 Partnerships, personalised hormone testing and patient demand
27:52 Product development and the path to commercialisation
32:57 Reimbursement, design-to-cost and startup culture
40:30 Future milestones and the diagnostics market outlook

Guest: Nedal Safwat
Senior Vice President, Medical Diagnostics at Canatu
President, Canatu Inc.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedal-safwat/

Learn more about Canatu, Medical Diagnostics here: https://canatu.com/products/medical-diagnostics/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Dean Remy, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Mativa Diagnostics.

Dean brings 35 years of experience across diagnostics, biotechnology, and therapeutics. He explains why pregnancy testing has barely changed in 50 years and how the traditional positive-or-negative result can leave women without critical information during the earliest weeks of pregnancy.

Mativa is developing a reusable handheld device combining multiplex biomarker testing, graphene nanosensor technology, an AI-enabled app, and immediate care navigation. The company is also building a large longitudinal maternal biorepository to support future diagnostics, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development.

This is a practical conversation about maternal health innovation, consumer access, partnerships, regulation, data, and building a platform designed to support women throughout the pregnancy journey.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why the traditional pregnancy test does not provide women with enough early information
🔹 How Mativa plans to identify risks such as ectopic pregnancy and pre-eclampsia
🔹 Why a longitudinal maternal biorepository could transform diagnostics and therapeutic development
🔹 How retail, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic partnerships could accelerate adoption
🔹 Why supporting the complete patient journey could define the next generation of diagnostics

Chapters:
01:08 Introduction and Dean Remy’s background
03:24 Why maternal health urgently needs innovation
06:28 Mativa’s approach and the technology behind the platform
11:42 Building a comprehensive maternal biorepository
14:24 Commercial strategy and market positioning
17:13 Regulatory and reimbursement pathways
20:18 Capital raising and strategic partnerships
25:34 The future of Mativa and maternal diagnostics

Guest: Dean Remy
Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Mativa Diagnostics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scisourceremy/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics and omics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Thomas Briggs, Chief Growth Officer at RedDrop Dx.

Thomas brings more than 25 years of diagnostics and healthcare growth experience, spanning pharma, big diagnostics, medtech, and startup environments. In this conversation, we explore one of the most overlooked parts of diagnostics: blood collection, and why the process still looks far too similar to what it did decades ago.

Thomas breaks down where arm-based micro-sampling could genuinely change patient experience, from paediatrics and neurodivergent patients to home testing, clinical trials, and difficult vein access.

We also get into the commercial reality behind a product like this: where the most promising markets are, why education still matters, how labs and platforms need to adapt, and what it takes to build a medtech business without following the usual VC-heavy playbook.

This is a practical conversation about workflow, access, patient experience, and what happens when a simple shift in blood collection could unlock broader changes across diagnostics and healthcare delivery.

Key takeaways:
🔹 Why blood collection remains one of the least-innovated parts of diagnostics
🔹 Where arm-based micro-sampling could have the biggest clinical and commercial impact
🔹 Why paediatrics, neurodivergent patients, and difficult vein access are such important use cases
🔹 How home sampling could change clinical trials, routine monitoring, and direct-to-consumer care
🔹 What it takes to commercialise a medtech product in both consumer and managed-care settings

Chapters:
01:51 Thomas Briggs’ background in diagnostics, pharma, and medtech
06:28 Moving from big corporates into startups
11:04 What RedDrop Dx is building and how the device works
14:39 Where the biggest commercial opportunities are for arm-based micro-sampling
18:48 Why education and awareness are still a major challenge
21:22 RedDrop Dx’s story so far and why it was bootstrapped
26:05 How the company is building for growth across different market segments
30:10 Future milestones, home collection clearance, and expansion into Europe
31:31 Thomas’s outlook on diagnostics, home testing, and micro-sampling in 2026

Guest: Thomas Briggs
Chief Growth Officer at RedDrop Dx
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-briggs-959865177/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics and omics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, David Filby is joined by Alec Ford, Chief Executive Officer at Karius.

Alec brings decades of leadership experience across therapeutics, vaccines, and genomics. In this conversation, we explore how Karius is bringing genomics into infectious disease and why the company has focused so sharply on immunocompromised patients.

The scale of the unmet need is staggering. Alec explains that 52% of cancer deaths in the US are due to infection rather than the underlying malignancy, rising to more than 60% in hematologic malignancies. He also shares that there are around 4 million hospital admissions for infection among cancer patients in the US each year, yet the standard hospital workup can still fail to identify the cause in far too many cases.

We also discuss the company’s growth, physician adoption, and why outpatient infectious disease testing could become a major next step.

This is a practical conversation about infectious disease diagnostics, commercialization, and building in one of the most important unmet areas in healthcare.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why infectious disease remains one of the biggest threats to immunocompromised patients
🔹 How Karius is using microbial cell-free DNA to diagnose infection from a simple blood draw
🔹 Why focus and disciplined market selection have been central to Karius’ growth
🔹 How physician confidence and education shape adoption of new diagnostics
🔹 Why outpatient infectious disease testing could become a major next step for the field

Chapters:
01:00 Introduction and Alec Ford’s background
04:20 Transition from therapeutics to genomics
08:34 The founding story of Karius and how the technology works
14:52 Why Karius focused on immunocompromised patients
19:41 Scaling the company and driving adoption
27:20 Reimbursement, capital strategy, and path to profitability
34:40 The outpatient opportunity and Karius’ next chapter
45:03 Alec’s view on the diagnostics industry and what needs to change

Guest: Alec Ford
Chief Executive Officer at Karius
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-ford-b578003/

Host: David Filby
Founder and CEO of Elevra Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilby/

Learn more about Karius here: https://kariusdx.com/

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics and omics.